End of an Era
by DuffleGamer
Summary: Ash has once again lost the Pokemon League. Normally he'd just go home and relax a bit, but Professor Oak had other plans. After a shocking discovery was revealed to him, he and Dawn must train their Pokemon as much as possible before an overwhelming evil pops up to wipe out the world. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Duffle here with a new story for you guys to sink your teeth into. I've had some ideas for this story for a good while now, and I've decided to start it up as a little side project. Eevee Pack will still be the main focus, as that's what I'm known for at this point, but I'll upload this every now and then. And once Eevee Pack finishes up, this story will most likely be the primary focus. With that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Training Tendencies

It hadn't been that long since Ash had been defeated in the Sinnoh league. He thought that this time it would finally be the time that he could get over the hump, but unfortunately, he had run into a legendary trainer. After the defeat, Ash and Dawn, a friend that he had met in the Sinnoh Region, returned to his home in Pallet Town. As he stepped into the familiar scenery of his home, he was met with a long and drawn out hug from his mother.

"Oh Ash, I'm so proud of you! You did great, sweetie~" She pulled Ash as close to her as possible as she wrapped her arms around him. Ash looked over at Dawn, awkwardly smiling at her before responding to his Mom.

"Mom, you're embarrassing me…" Delia opened her eyes and pulled away from him.

"Ah, Dawn, I'm sorry… I didn't see you there. I just had to say hello to my little champion. You know how it is."

Dawn chuckled a bit at that. "Heehee, yeah, I guess I would know."

Ash turned away and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I mean… I didn't _win _this time. But Top 4 isn't that bad, I guess."

"Isn't that bad? Honey, it's amazing! You need to give yourself more credit than that." She clapped her hands together. "I know! I'll cook up your favorite dinner tonight. In the meantime, why don't you head on over to Professor Oak's lab and relax for a bit? I'm sure he and Tracey would love to see you two."

Ash turned to Dawn, as if he was trying to ask her if they should. Once he got a nod in response, he smiled and turned back to his Mom. "Alright, that sounds like a good idea. I'll be back before dinner!"

Ash waved at her as he started to walk out of the house. Dawn did the same, smiling as she called out to Delia. "It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Ketchum!"

Delia gave her a soft smile and a wave as she went to prepare for tonight.

* * *

Professor Oak was quickly pulled away from what he was writing on as he heard some knocks on the door to the lab. As he stood up to go open it, Tracey quickly ran over to cut him off. "No need, Professor, I've got it!" Tracey quickly opened the door and beamed as he saw Ash and Dawn in front of him. "Ash! Wow, it's been so long since I've last seen you! Are you holding up fine?"

Ash nodded, a bright smile on his face. "Yeah, I've been alright. It's good to see you, Tracey!"

Tracey turned to Dawn and extended his hand out to her. "And you must be Dawn, right? My name's Tracey, it's nice to meet you! Ash has told me a lot about ya."

Dawn chuckled a bit as she shook his hand. "Oh, has he now? Good things, I hope…"

Ash chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well… Maybe not always…"

Dawn huffed and smacked Ash in the back of the head. "Ash, you jerk! What did you tell him?"

Tracey couldn't help but laugh as Ash tried to explain himself. As he did, Professor Oak walked up behind him. "Ah, I was wondering what the commotion here was! Ash, it's good to see you, old friend."

Ash turned his attention away from Dawn for a moment as Professor Oak walked up to them. "Professor Oak! I got fourth place in the Sinnoh League!"

Oak nodded with the same smile that he always had on his face. "I saw that, Ash. Very impressive! I believe you could've gone much further if any other trainer had fought you in Top 4."

Ash bit his lip and turned away. "That Latios and Darkrai…"

Oak nodded his head. "Yes, they were very tough opponents." He turned his attention to Pikachu, who was patiently sitting on Ash's shoulder. Oak moved a hand under Pikachu's neck and started giving him some scratches. "Well, even so, this little guy put in quite the effort! I'm quite impressed at how far both of you have come since you left here for the first time."

Pikachu let out a little "Cha~", both from the compliment and the scratches.

Ash looked up at his partner and smiled. "Yeah, Pikachu did really amazing during the League. Even I was surprised at how well he performed! I know we couldn't put it all together, but… We'll win the next league, right Pikachu!"

Pikachu pumped his fist in the air. "Pi Pikachu!"

Ash did the same, a look of excitement on his face as he did. "Alright! Yeah! I'm getting pumped up already!"

Oak chuckled at the outburst. "I admire your enthusiasm, Ash, but it wouldn't do to wear yourself out. You all just got home from Sinnoh, and you need your rest. Besides, I…" Oak stopped himself, which got a confused tilt of the head from Ash.

"...Professor, is something the matter?"

Oak was about to say something, but he cut himself off and shook his head. "N-No… No, nothing's the matter. I assume you'd like to introduce your Sinnoh Pokemon to the ones here?"

Ash lit up. "Boy, would I! C'mon, Pikachu, let's go say hi to everyone!"

Pikachu gave an exclamation as the two of em ran off to the farm in the back of the lab. Oak let out a sigh of relief as Ash seemed to be distracted for at least the moment. Both Dawn and Tracey looked concerned at this, but Tracey was the first to break it.

"Um… Professor? What was that all about? Are you stressed about organizing that party? Everyone should be coming here in an hour or two…"

Oak shook his head. "No, it's not-" He scratched his chin and thought about it for a second. "Well, ok, maybe it is about that, but not completely. There's… something else. That I've been hiding from Ash…"

Dawn looked at him with a confused expression on her face. "Hiding something? Is it important?"

"Er… Well, I'll tell you later. For now, we should get preparations done for the party. I'm sure Ash will be distracted by all of his Pokemon."

Tracey clapped his hands together. "Sure thing! Come on, Dawn, let's head to the Ketchum household!"

Dawn bit her lip and nodded a little. "R-Right, yeah. Let's go."

As the two of them left the lab, Oak sighed and sat back down at his desk. He looked up, seeing a picture of a married couple with a child. A note sat next to the picture as well, saying "If you ever feel lost". Oak grabbed the picture and looked at it for a while.

"I think… I think it's time I told him the truth." He put the picture back and rubbed his temples, closing his eyes as he did. "This isn't gonna be easy…"

* * *

Ash rushed out to the farm, a bright smile on his face as he screamed at the top of his lungs. "I'M BACK, GUYS!"

A whole hoard of Pokemon immediately stopped what they were doing, rushing over to the source of the noise as they realized that their trainer had come back.

Ash stared at the group of Pokemon hustling toward him. He tried to pick out the Pokemon he noticed: Bulbasaur, all his Tauros, Bayleef, Squirtle, Sceptile… Wow, they were starting to get really close! ...Wait a minute…

"Wait, guys, stop!" However, it was too late. All of them tackled Ash and started showering him with affection. Bulbasaur started licking his face, all the Tauros were looking for attention, Bayleef was nuzzling up to his neck… If he hadn't loved them all so much, Ash would be quite overwhelmed. But, instead, he gave as many of them a hug as he could. "Alright, alright, it's good to see you guys too!"

Once they had had enough, they all started to move away to give him some space. Well, everyone except for Bayleef, anyways. She was still nuzzling up to him, just his leg now instead of his neck as he stood up. Once he got up, Ash grabbed the 5 pokeballs on his belt and threw them up in the air, bursting open to reveal Staraptor, Infernape, Buizel, Torterra, and Gible.

"Alright guys, say hi to our new friends!"

As the Sinnoh Pokemon looked around, they started to mingle with some of the older Pokemon. Staraptor was talking with Noctowl and Swellow, Buizel was talking with Squirtle, Torterra was sun bathing with Bayleef, and Infernape was training with Sceptile. Pikachu smiled as all of his new friends started mixing with the old. However, even as he saw most of Ash's Pokemon, there was still one in particular he couldn't find…

[Lookin for me?] Pikachu perked up as the one he was looking for walked up behind him. [It's been a while, Pikachu. You have fun in Sinnoh?]

Pikachu smiled ear from ear. [Charizard! Of course I did. You're lookin good, big guy!"

He smiled at the complement, flexing a little. [Well, I've always gotta be ready in case Ash wants to use me in the League. So I've been training quite a bit, making sure nothing's gonna stop me next time I fight!]

Pikachu chuckled. Charizard could be a little… over the top sometimes, but he just wanted to be the best around. I suppose Pikachu could relate.

[But still…] Pikachu snapped out of his own thoughts as Charizard started to speak. [I've always wondered why Ash never uses any of us when he starts a new adventure. He could easily make it to the league with any combination of us here, right?]

Pikachu nodded. [Well, yeah, of course he could. But you know how he is, he doesn't wanna take the easy way out. He wants to meet new friends and experience every region to its fullest. So I can kinda see where he's coming from.]

Charizard looked concerned as he moved his head down. [Well… Yeah, but… you ever feel like Ash is holding himself back?]

Pikachu bit his lip. He… didn't really have a response to that. Charizard, meanwhile, motioned to all the Pokemon running around.

[I know he wants to experience the region and make new friends. And I won't lie: It can be pretty fun to fight all the strong party members he picks up.] Charizard frowned at Pikachu. [But all the pokemon that he's caught in the past? We're stuck here, doing our best to keep ourselves in tip top condition. We can't do much to improve ourselves here without destroying Oak's lab.]

Pikachu turned away, and went to look at Ash. [I-I mean… I guess I can't relate, but that does sound… harsh.]

Charizard nodded. [There are so many people here with extraordinary potential. You, me, Sceptile, Snorlax… Hell, even that Infernape seems crazy strong…]

He shook his head. [Point is, I feel like he should be focusing on the Pokemon he already has instead of trying to find new ones. It's time to focus on _winning_.]

Charizard's words dug deep. Pikachu couldn't help but feel guilty about his situation. I mean, _he _never had to deal with the lab… He was always with Ash, no matter where he went. And yet, what Charizard said hit close to home. It… It left him very confused, he wouldn't lie.

Even during Ash's surprise Sinnoh League Party couldn't snap him out of the thoughts. All of his friends were there: Misty, Brock, Gary, May, Max… Yeah, you get the idea. They congratulated him, pat him on the back, told him how proud they were. Y'know, the usual stuff.

Pikachu was more happy to talk to all of his old friends from his old journies. May's Glaceon seemed especially happy to talk to him, and he wouldn't lie that she was nice to be around. Though I think he might've heard Buneary seething somewhere nearby.

He had spent so many hours talking to Pokemon that night, and it was wearing him out. But then, something happened… And he had a feeling he'd be talking to them for much, much longer…

* * *

"Ash, may I speak to you?"

Ash turned around as Professor Oak walked up to him. It was a very… somber look on the Professor's face as he approached him. He'd never really seen him like this before, so Ash knew something was up. He was talking to Gary about the Sinnoh League when the Professor showed up, so the Professor invited him to come along as well.

As the trio left the house, they headed towards the lab and in the doors. Professor Oak lead them to his desk, where Oak took a deep breath before speaking.

"Okay… Ash, before I get into why I brought you here, I have a question for you… Do you feel lost in what to do as a trainer?"

That certainly got Ash's attention. He immediately wanted to reply with no, but something in the back of his head stopped him. Now that he was thinking about it… He _was _starting to have some doubts about his goal as a Pokemon Champion.

"I… Well, I suppose I have _some _doubts. But why do you ask?"

Oak closed his eyes and grabbed the picture on his desk, giving it to Ash. "Ash, do you know who these people are? The ones in the photo."

Ash took the photo and looked at it. The older man in the photo had a strange get up, with a full set of dark blue clothes. He had a ranger hat and a long cape, and had a bright smile on his face. To his left was a woman, who looked awfully familiar… Then again, that little boy in front of the two looked… a lot like him!

"This… This couldn't be my family, could it? And that little boy is me?"

Oak nodded. "It is. That man in those strange clothes is your father. A descendant of Sir Aaron."

Ash didn't respond to that. There was a lot rushing through his head right now. _A… descendant of Sir Aaron…? But how? I just thought that when I put on the gloves that I could have those powers… Do I hold those powers inside of me?_

"I know what you're thinking Ash, and yes, you do have those powers. In fact, everyone does."

Gary finally butted in when he heard that. "Okay, hold on there, Gramps. What's going on? What power is this that everyone has? I'm totally lost here!"

Oak nodded and started to pace around the room. "The power of aura. A power that concentrates the very essence of one's soul to use for a multitude of purposes. It's an incredibly difficult power to control, but one that yields great results if one can master it."

Ash bit his lip. "So… Then what does me being a descendant of Sir Aaron have to do with it if everyone can do it?"

"Because, Ash, not everyone can achieve the power of aura easily. It takes a foundation, along with natural talent. Sir Aaron's bloodline is very powerful, and are some of the strongest aura wielders in the world. Normally, they're supposed to stay secluded from the outside world, but… Your father ignored that, and went to be with Delia. That is why you're special, Ash."

Gary just looked on in shock as Ash tried to take this in. He was shaking his head. In all honesty, he… still couldn't believe it. However, Oak wasn't done quite yet. He handed Ash an envelope.

"Here. This is a letter from your Father, from before he left here for the second time. He gave it to me for safe keeping, but… I think it's time you took a look at it."

Ash swallowed. He knew that the contents of this letter were going to be super important, so he hesitantly took the letter and opened it up.

Ash silently closed the letter, putting it in his jacket pocket as he sat down in a chair to gather his thoughts. Gary awkwardly glanced between his Grandfather and Ash.

"So… Wow. I mean, just… I don't know what to say."

Ash shook his head. "This is a lot to take in… I need some time to think."

Oak nodded. "I think that would be good. But we can offer some support if you'd like. I know this is hard, but we're both here for you."

Gary nodded, and that put a smile on Ash's face. "Of course… Of course. Thank you."

Gary smirked and pulled up a chair, right next to Ash. "So, Ashy-boy, what's on your mind? You gonna go through with that little training plan that your Dad showed you?"

Ash scratched his chin. "It… did seem incredibly effective. But also very harsh. I don't want my Pokemon to go through a training routine as hard as this. It'll be too much for them."

"Ash, don't underestimate your Pokemon." Ash looked up in surprise as Oak stepped in. "You have many Pokemon here who want nothing more than to fight for you. I know Charizard especially has been training day in and day out in order to better himself. Besides, not all of them need to participate. You can ask them yourself."

Ash closed his eyes and thought about it for a moment. "I… suppose I could do that. Yeah, I think I will do that. Thanks, Professor."

Gary cut him off. "Now, hold on. What about that whole destiny thing? What do you think your Dad meant by that?"

Ash frowned at that and shook his head. "I'm… not exactly sure. And from the way he wrote it, I don't think he did either. It just seems like he wants me to be prepared."

Gary gave him a soft punch on the arm. "Well, with that training plan you've got there, you'll be prepared for sure! Not even just your Pokemon, either. You're gonna be pretty strong yourself!"

Ash nodded and stood up, smiling at the two Oaks. "Thanks, you two. I appreciate all you've done to help. I think I should go and talk to my Pokemon now."

Gary walked over and stopped Ash. "I can go grab your Pokemon for ya, Ashy-boy. You go out to the farm area and wait there."

Ash looked a little confused as Gary ran off to his house, but he ended up just shrugging and heading over to the grassy area behind the lab.

* * *

All of the Pokemon were murmuring between themselves as they headed over to where Ash was.

[What do you think this is about? Gary seemed pretty serious…]

[Oh gosh, do you think Ash is gonna stop training Pokemon?!]

[Don't be ridiculous, Ash wouldn't do that! ...Would he?]

[He's probably got too many Pokemon and wants to get rid of some. Though I think we all know who would the first to go… Er, rather, the first few.]

They all looked back at the stampede of Tauros. However, before they could continue their conversation, Ash stepped forward and cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Hey guys. I uh…" Ash shook his head. "I got a letter from my Dad earlier today. And there's something really important that I need to do, something that only _I _can do. And… I want to let you guys reach your maximum potential. So…"

The tension was thick as they all held their breath for what he was gonna say. "...I have a new training method. It's a way for me to help you guys improve much more quickly than you would through normal methods. But… It's incredibly hard. So, I want to make this clear. Don't feel like you need to come for me. I only want you to come if you feel like you're up for the challenge and can handle it. If anyone wants to volunteer, step forward."

Almost as soon as he stopped talking, Pikachu and Charizard stepped forward. It wasn't long before Sceptile and Infernape did the same. Staraptor stepped forward, with Buizel doing the same soon after. Squirtle put on his sunglasses and stepped forward as well. Seeing this, Bulbasaur almost felt obligated to follow suit. Even little Gible stepped forward to volunteer. Ash couldn't help but smile at how many had volunteered.

"Ah, geez guys… You're gonna make me start crying…." Ash looked down and started rubbing his eyes as tears began to form. He quickly got rid of them as he put on that iconic charismatic smile of his. "Alright, if you guys wanna come, then let's do it! Professor Oak expanded my Trainer License, so I can carry up to 12 Pokemon if I want. So if anyone else wants to join later down the line, just tell Professor Oak and he can send you down to me!"

All of them nodded as they went to return to their own activities. The ones that stayed all looked at Ash with a smile.

"Alright guys, I hope you're ready for the training of your lives. I'm not gonna go easy on ya, so I expect you guys to work hard!"

They all nodded in agreement. Ash nodded himself and let out a sigh.

"Well, in that case, we should probably go say goodbye to everyone…"

"And where exactly do you think _you're _going, Ash Ketchum?"

Ash jumped a bit as he turned around. He wasn't expecting to see anyone, much less _Dawn _out here. "O-Oh, Dawn! I uh… well… er…"

She smirked at him and crossed her arms. "You weren't thinking about going on an adventure without me, were ya?~"

Ash scratched the back of his head. "Look, Dawn, I… This isn't just a normal journey. It's gonna be tough, both for me and my Pokemon."

"Oh, I know." Ash was taken aback a bit as she approached him. "And that's why you need me to keep you some company. If you go out there on your own, you're gonna go insane."

Ash scratched his cheek a little. "Ehe… I guess you've got a point there…"

She raised her hand in the air. "I'm sticking with you and that's final!"

Ash couldn't help but smile as he gave her a high-five. "Yeah, sounds good! Let's do it!"

* * *

Now that Pikachu had finally gotten everyone together, he scanned the group. Obviously there was Ash's Pokemon there, but now they had Dawn's Pokemon as well: Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Quilava, Togekiss, and Mamoswine. Pikachu cleared his throat as he looked at everyone.

[Okay guys… I know that this is a lot. But that's a quick rundown of what's been happening in the last few hours. So, because of that, we're all gonna be headed towards Milos Island in Unova.]

The other Pokemon all looked at each other in confusion. Milos Island? Unova? They'd never heard of either of those before. Pikachu chuckled and shrugged.

[Look, I don't know about it either… But Oak said that it'd be a good place to train while we wait for something major to happen, and Ash trusts his judgement.]

Charizard nodded. [Either way, the main thing is that our trainers are gonna be pushing us. Hard. There's something bad that's gonna happen and they want us to be ready for it. If you don't think you're prepared, then you can just stay here.]

All of Dawn's Pokemon scowled at Charizard. Buneary was the first one to step forward. [I'm not gonna let Pikachu go off and risk his life alone! I'm going with you.]

Piplup started flapping his wings. [Yeah! What the bunny said!]

Sceptile rolled his eyes. [Tch. If you say so. But this isn't a field trip. Y'all better take it seriously.]

Mamoswine nodded. [As serious as a heart attack.]

Pikachu nodded. [Awesome. In that case, let's all head down to the dock. I'm sure Ash and Dawn are waiting for us down there.]

They all nodded in agreement and went down to the dock.

**End Chapter 1**

**Okay, wow, this ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated… Either way, I hope you enjoyed! If you like the story, please leave a Like and a Favorite to show your support! If you didn't like it, leave a Review and let me know! Thanks for reading everybody!**


	2. On The Road to Unova

**Heyo, everyone! It's been a while since I've last uploaded, and I apologize for that. Just been a lot going on with Corona and my own personal life. Regardless, I'm here now, and that's what matters. So, with that being said, let's hop right into it!**

Chapter 2: Unovan Preparations

As the ship effortlessly flows through the water on that crisp morning day, Ash couldn't help but sigh. He was leaning against the bars of the ship, looking out at the sea and the Flying type Pokemon that flew by as he was deep in thought.

"So... Looks like we're off to Unova." Ash chuckled. "Heh, it's funny. Even though I'm going there to focus on my current Pokemon, I still ended up going to a new region. Kind of ironic…"

"Heh, it sure is. But I expect nothing less from you, Ketchum~" Ash was taken a bit off guard as he heard Dawn walking up behind him. "You always seemed the adventurous type. No matter what's going on, you're always craving the moment."

As she walked up to lean against the bars as well, Ash chuckled at her comment. "Yeah, well, I can't help it. It's fun! Besides, I'm sure all of our Pokemon enjoy a good adventure. You can't really go anywhere without something popping up when it comes to me."

Dawn turned to him and smiled. "Well, maybe so. But hey, it's not like I don't enjoy it. I… had a lot of fun during our Sinnoh journey."

Ash couldn't help but smile at that. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well, no wonder you wanted to come out here so badly. This is gonna be quite the adventure, after all…"

Dawn looked away from him, moving her gaze upwards to see Pelipper and a couple of Wingull flying by. "Yup. That's exactly why I wanted to come. Wouldn't miss it for the world~"

Ash gave her a small smile. "I'm glad you came, Dawn. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Dawn giggled and returned the smile. "Hey, no need to worry, am I right?"

They both started laughing. Man, that is such a cheesy line.

* * *

Pikachu let out a small yawn. He shielded his eyes from the sun, squinting a bit as it came through the window. He really didn't wanna wake up already, especially since he had a feeling he'd be doing that a lot pretty soon, but whatever. He let out a loud yawn as he started crawling out of bed, sliding off of the blankets. He looked up and noticed that both Ash and Dawn were out of the room.

_Probably out to get some fresh air. _He thought. _Humans get up so early in the morning. I don't know how they do it._

He looked up at Dawn's bed and noticed that Piplup was still fast asleep there, snoring like a little baby. Pikachu couldn't help but chuckle at that.

_Well, I guess that's pretty fitting considering who it is._

However, his attention was taken away from Piplup as he noticed that Dawn's bag was leaning up against the drawer beside her bed. He thought about it for a quick second, scratching his chin. He shook his head, opening the bag and pulling out a pokeball. He pressed the button on the center and out popped the familiar fluffy bunny that everyone knows and loves.

Though he regretted it a tiny bit once she had popped out of the ball… When she came out, she looked pretty tired, rubbing her eyes as she took in her surroundings.

"Mmn… Dawn…? Why-" Her eyes locked on Pikachu and she was immediately taken out of her sleepy stupor. "O-Oh, Pikachu! S-Sorry, I… didn't see you there! What're you doing up so early?"

Pikachu awkwardly chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I got woken up by the sunlight coming through the window… I was gonna ask you if you wanted to do something this morning, but I forgot that the rest of you would still be sleeping… I can return you to your pokeball if you want."

Buneary quickly shook her head. "Wait, no, hold on! I'd love to go somewhere with you! Trust me, I'm not tired at all!" She gave Pikachu a fake smile.

He knew she was lying. I mean, it was incredibly obvious. But she seemed to genuinely want to do it, so… He decided to play along and just shrugged. "Alright, if you say so."

He extended his paw out to Buneary. "Now c'mon, there's a really nice place I wanna show you!"

Buneary blushed a bit and held onto his paw. "Hmhm, I can't wait~"

Pikachu smiled as he started leading her out of the room. "So, have you had the chance to walk around the ship yet? There's actually quite a bit of cool stuff here. I heard they have a water slide!"

Buneary got a little excited at the mention of a water slide. "Oh wow, really? Is that where you're taking me?"

Pikachu shook his head. "No, not this time. I figured that'd be better for when everyone's around, so we can all have fun together."

Buneary nodded and shrugged. "Oh well, I guess you're right. But in that case, where _are _you taking me?"

Pikachu smirked as he stopped, pointing out in front of him. "Well, we're already here. Have a look for yourself."

Buneary turned to where he was pointing, lighting up as she saw the view in front of her. It was a beautiful sun rise, with various water and flying Pokemon flying and splashing around. Bubbles floated through the air, the light reflecting off of them as they sparkled in the air. Not a single cloud blocked the few, and Buneary's eyes sparkled as she took it all in.

"Oh… Oh my Arceus… Pikachu, this is…" She was at a complete loss for words. Pikachu just chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Hehe… I found this place when we were going to our room yesterday. I thought it'd be perfect for us to just relax here before we reached where we needed to go." He sat down on a bench and patted the spot next to him. "You wanna come sit?"

She quickly nodded as she hopped onto the bench next to him. "Pikachu… This is amazing. Thank you so much for bringing me out here."

"Hey, don't mention it. I'm sure you would've done the same too, right?" Pikachu smiled at her. That smile that Buneary saw very often…

It was strange. Even though she'd seen it so often from him… It never felt disingenuous. It always felt natural, that he was always just happy and content with life. When she saw that smile for the first time… It resonated with her. She swore to protect that smile for as long as she could. To preserve it.

A smile cracked onto Buneary's face as she thought about it more. Her crush on him was definitely a heat of the moment thing, she wouldn't deny that. I mean, she fell in love with him because he back flipped and caught a potato… Like, yeah, impressive, but really?

But then he let himself get captured for her… And then she got captured by Dawn and travelled with the group through Sinnoh. And throughout the entire time, she couldn't keep herself away from him! He was so strong, and cute, and he was always like a big brother for the group. Solving disputes… cheering people up… Just being a great person! Once she had spent some time with him, she knew that she had to do whatever it takes to be with him.

But… She never had the guts to tell him. She would always flirt and slip little messages, but that always just ended up with him getting flustered and embarrassed. She spent more time than she'd like to admit trying to find a way to let him know without making him super flustered.

Or… maybe he did know, and he just wasn't interested? She shuddered at the thought. _No… Come on, we're really close. He doesn't feel that way… does he?_

"Um… Buneary? Are you in there?"

Buneary perked up and turned back to Pikachu. "O-Oh! Y-Yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?"

Pikachu blinked and frowned at her. "You went quiet for a while there…"

Buneary blushed and shook her head. "Oh, right, well… That's cause I was just thinking."

Pikachu raised an eyebrow. "Thinking? About what?"

"Well… About how we met. You remember that day, right?"

Pikachu turned back to the view and smirked. "Heh. How could I not? You saved me from getting run over. If you weren't there… I could've died that day."

Buneary turned out to the view as well. "Yeah. That was really scary."

"It was also really brave of you." He smiled and turned to her. "You didn't even know who I was, and yet you risked your life to save mine. I'm… very grateful for that. I'll never really be able to repay you for that."

Buneary chuckled and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Are you kidding? You already have! Remember, you were the one who offered yourself in place of me for Team Rocket. You were ready to just get taken away for someone you barely knew."

Pikachu thought about it. "Huh… Yeah, I guess I did do that, huh? Well, I just… it felt like the right thing to do. And I couldn't let you just get taken."

Buneary let out a happy sigh and smiled at him. "That's so sweet…" Even from just the first moment that they met, he was still thinking about her… She felt a little silly thinking that he wasn't interested or didn't care about her. He obviously did, even when they were strangers. That's just the type of guy he is. Sure, all of Ash's Pokemon are good at heart and want to do good things… but it was different with Pikachu. He was always so… infectiously upbeat and positive. And it always spread to the rest of the group. That was why he was special, and why everyone looked up to him. She just closed her eyes and leaned back against the bench. "I'm glad I decided to stick with Dawn."

Pikachu smiled as he leaned back against the bench as well. "Yeah, trust me, I'm glad as well."

* * *

"Professor, are you alright?"

Tracey couldn't help but be a bit worried as his mentor seemed to be staring at the photo again. The photo of Delia, a young baby Ash, and his father. He let out a sigh and turned to Tracey.

"Tracey… Can you take care of the lab for a bit? I need to go talk to Delia."

Tracey bit his lip and slowly nodded. He knew better than to pry when he saw the professor this serious. "Of course, Professor."

Professor Oak thanked the young man and stood up, taking the photo with him as he approached the Ketchum residence. Saying that he had a lot going through his mind as he headed towards the house was putting it lightly… He couldn't imagine how Delia was feeling about the whole thing. Had he made the right decision? He swallowed and knocked on the door as he approached the house.

"Delia? It's me, Professor Oak. May I come in?"

The door opened, and the smiling face of Delia Ketchum greeted him as it did. She beamed at him and motioned for him to enter.

"Oh, Professor Oak! Please, feel free to come in."

Oak nodded with a grim expression as he entered the house, sitting down on a chair as Delia went to sit across from him. He knew this talk was coming… but how was he going to do this?

"So… Delia, I-"

"I already know. And I understand."

Professor Oak was taken aback by shock from this. His eyes widened and he looked Delia in the face. She had a look of… resignment. Sorrow. Unhappiness. He supposed he couldn't blame her for any of that. But what surprised him was that small hint of happiness in her expression. He couldn't quite explain it, but… it seemed as though she isn't upset about this.

"From the moment that I met him and decided to raise a family with him, I knew that this was bound to happen. You can't stop destiny after all…" She wiped her right eye and straightened her pose as she continued. "Professor, I really must thank you for your hospitality all these years. Even us just being here puts this entire town in danger, but you've decided to help us anyways. We're eternally grateful for that."

Delia bowed her head in thanks. The Pokemon Professor couldn't find the words to respond. She was thanking him? Shouldn't she be angered? Delia trusted him to keep her son safe and he let him go off on some dangerous adventure.

"Of course Delia, but for Ash, I want to make sure that he's safe. This isn't going to be like his other adventures, he-"

"I understand, Professor. More than you realize, I understand that this is going to be incredibly tough on Ash. I won't pretend that there's no chance of him dying…" Delia had a stern look on her face as she stared down the professor. "But I also know that this is his destiny. He's ready to take on the challenges ahead, I can feel it. Besides, he's not alone. He's got his Pokemon, and Dawn, and all of his other friends backing him up. I know that wherever this journey takes him, he will come out a stronger man. That is why I'm not angry at you."

Professor Oak couldn't help but give a soft smile at that. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Delia." She was right. Ash wasn't the same 10 year old kid who arrived late to get his starter Pokemon anymore… He was a grown adult who has seen countless wonders in the world. It was best if he had confidence that Ash could complete his goals.

"That being said, there's another reason that I'm here. Ash was in such a hurry to leave that I didn't have time to get his Father's gifts to him. Would you mind grabbing them so I can send them?"

Delia clapped her hands together with a bright smile. "Oh! You mean the Pokemon and those clothes? Of course! I'll even go with you to make sure I can say hi to my little boy!"

Professor Oak was glad that the tension lifted from the room. "Excellent! In that case, let's not waste a single moment!"

* * *

Ash and Dawn were just finishing talking as something in Ash's pocket was buzzing. He grabbed it and… it was his Pokedex? He opened it up and a sort of messaging program popped up. "Huh… That's weird. I didn't know my Pokedex could send messages."

Dawn peeked over Ash's shoulder to see what he was looking at. "Woah, you've got a messaging system? That's so cool! Who'd you get it from?"

Ash covered up the Pokedex with his arm. "Hey, watch it! This might be personal stuff!" As he looked down at the device, it seemed to be a message from Professor Oak. It read:

_Please go to the nearest transport station as soon as possible. There are some things I wasn't able to give you before you left._

Ash nodded and closed the Pokedex before turning to Dawn. "Alright, guess there's some stuff that the Professor didn't give me beforehand, so I've gotta go grab that from him. You wanna come with?"

Dawn nodded and followed Ash to the phone area where all the transport devices were located.

"Ah, Ash, great to see you again! I hope your first day on the cruise ship hasn't been too bumpy?" Professor Oak greeted Ash as the line booted up.

Ash shook his head with a smile. "Not at all, Professor. Thanks again for getting us these tickets."

Dawn came up behind him and started pushing him a bit out of the way to squeeze into the camera's view. "Hey there Professor! We're doing just fine!"

Oak chuckled a bit before returning to the task at hand. "Now then, firstly, I'd like to send over a Pokemon. It's a Riolu, bred by your father to be the perfect training partner for you and your Pokemon." Oak pressed a few buttons and under the transporter came a Poke ball. Ash picked it up and released the Pokemon inside, showing itself to be a Riolu.

"Woah, a Riolu! That's cool…" Ash and Dawn looked at it with intrigue as it seemed a bit more cautious of them. Its eyes turned a light blue and its ears perked up as it looked at the two teens. Once he was finished, Riolu bowed his head.

"_Greetings, Master. I am Riolu."_

Ash was taken aback from what just happened. "It can talk?!"

Dawn tilted her head sideways at Ash. "What're you talking about? I didn't hear anything…"

"_I am not talking in the traditional way… I am projecting my thoughts into your head so that we may communicate properly. It is but one of many powerful aura abilities that you will learn through our training."_

Ash nodded his head as he looked at the new Pokemon. "So you're gonna help me with my Aura training, is that it?"

Riolu nodded his head. "_Precisely. All aura masters have either a Riolu or a Lucario help them train away from human contact."_

Ash smiled at the Riolu. "Cool! Well, anyways, glad to have you on the team, Riolu!"

As Dawn just looked between them, not wondering at all what was going on, Professor Oak cleared his throat. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I'd like to give you one more gift. It's-"

Professor Oak was cut off as Delia shoved him out of the way, holding a decently sized box for him. "You've had enough screen time! Oh, how's my baby boy doing? Are you eating healthy? Getting plenty of exercise? Make sure you stay on top of your hygiene!"

Ash was taken aback and quickly got defensive. "Mom, please, it hasn't even been 24 hours yet!"

Dawn poked his face and snickered. "Well, knowing you, that's all the time you need to be a big ol slob."

Ash grit his teeth and turned to her. "Not you too! I am _not_ a slob!"

Delia couldn't help but laugh at their antics, but quickly got their attention. "Well, I trust that you'll be just fine Ash. I'm sending over your last gift now. It's a box full of different clothes! You've got some training gear for both physical and aura training, and even a cool disguise! Don't know why your father put that in there, but who knows? It might be useful!"

The box was transported over and Ash happily scooped it up, giving his mom a nod and a smile. "Thanks so much, Mom. I'll be sure to wear them!"

"Of course you will, sweetie. Now take care! Have a safe trip!" She waved him off before the video call turned off. Ash sighed and turned to Dawn.

"Well, I suppose we should get ready. We're about to dock on Milos Island. Plus, we've gotta introduce Riolu to the group."

Dawn nodded and started heading back to her room. "Alright, I'll go grab my Pokemon. You've gotta wonder why we were given a cruise ship when the trip is this short and we're the only people on it…"

"Not quite the only people, Dawn."

The two of them almost jumped out of their skin as they turned back to see the intruder. "Cynthia!"

Cynthia gave a laugh as she approached them. "The one and only."

Ash smiled and walked up to her. "How did you get on here? _Why _are you on here?"

Cynthia shrugged. "Who do you think set all this up? Professor Rowan told me everything. As soon as I heard that you two were off to prepare yourselves for whatever's about to come, I rushed over as quick as I could. I'd like to think I know a good bit about Unova."

Dawn tapped a finger on her cheek, thinking about the logistics of that. "Wait, so… You're the one who set everything up in Milos Island?"

"Correct, Dawn. And I'm making sure you two have everything you need to get training hard. Speaking of which… Ash, can I see your Pokedex?"

Ash nodded and pulled out his Pokedex, handing it to Cynthia. When she took it, she fiddled around with it for a while. "...Uh, Cynthia? What're you-"

"Hold on Ash, I'm almost done… There!" Cynthia finished with one final tap and handed it over to Ash. "All done. I've registered the contacts of everyone you might need to access. Myself, all the gym leaders, all the frontier brains, and all the Pokemon Professors. They all should have your contact information as well, so expect some messages from them. A lot of them really wanna talk to you again."

Ash nodded his head and slipped the Pokedex back into his pocket. "Thanks Cynthia, that's a big help."

"Don't mention it. We're all in this together, and while we're not gonna drop everything for you, a lot of them would definitely be down for a rematch for some training. I'm looking forward to seeing how you progress." She turned her attention to Dawn. "And you too. I'm sure you're gonna be busy enough training alongside Ash, but you'd better not slack off just because there are no contests in Unova."

"Don't worry Cynthia, I-" Dawn froze in place. "THERE ARE NO CONTESTS IN UNOVA?!"

Cynthia and Ash were basically blown away from how loud she screamed about that. Pikachu and Buneary turned around towards the noise, a little surprised and curious as to where it came from. Even some of the Pokeballs in their bag shook. Riolu had to cover his ears from the loud screech.

"Woah, hey, Dawn… Take it easy, will ya? It's not the end of the world…" Ash tried to calm her down.

"Of course _you _would say that, Ketchum! How am I supposed to continue my coordinator career with no contests to participate in?!"

Cynthia took a deep breath to compose herself as she walked over to Dawn. Lord Arceus, she had no idea Dawn had those kinds of lungs on her… "Dawn, listen, I'm almost positive that you won't stay in Unova forever. But for now, you need to focus on battle training with your Pokemon. There's a lot more at play here than Ash simply going to another region."

Dawn let out a sigh of relief and brushed up her hair. "Alright, fine, but we _will _be going somewhere with contests."

Ash awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Okay, okay. We'll make sure to get you into some contests, alright?"

Cynthia grabbed her pocket watch and checked the time. "Hrm. We should be arriving at Milos Island soon. You guys should get your Pokemon together now. I wanna be able to brief them on the situation once we land."

The two trainers nodded and headed back to their rooms to grab their Pokemon.

Cynthia scratched the back of her head as she watched the two of them run off. "...Y'know, it's not the same without Brock trying to flirt with me. Never thought I'd be one to miss that."

* * *

"So, with that all out of the way, I'd like to introduce you to Riolu! He's our newest friend from my Dad."

Ash showed Riolu to the other Pokemon and he bowed. "(It's a pleasure.)"

All of the various Pokemon greeted Riolu in some way. It seemed Ash's Pokemon were mostly pretty distant while Dawn's were eager to meet the new companion. After introductions were finished, Cynthia hopped off the boat and walked to the two trainers.

"Okay, I don't have a lot of time, so make sure you guys pay attention to what I'm about to say."

Ash and Dawn, along with all their Pokemon, turned to face Cynthia.

"Great. Now then, your house will be at the center of the island. It's nothing grandeur, but it functions. We've given you food for roughly a month, for both you and your Pokemon, but knowing Ash it might be less than that. You're not _too _far from Unova proper, so you may travel there if you feel necessary. On that note, you both should get used to travelling on your Pokemon. You may be needed at a moment's notice elsewhere, and so we can't afford to wait for you to find a boat. Any questions?"

Dawn raised her hand. "No offense Ms Cynthia, but why here? Aren't there better places to train?"

"Possibly, but Oak and I chose this spot for a couple of reasons. For starters, it's nice and secluded for you and Ash to do whatever you'd like. It's pretty large for an island and also quite varied, meaning different training regimens should be easy. And finally… It's said that this island is linked to the legendary trio of Thundurus, Tornadus, and Landorus. Maybe you two will be able to meet them at some point. Anyways, that's all the time I've got. Good luck on your training, you two. I'll make sure to keep in touch."

Cynthia let out her Garchomp and hopped on, the two of them flying away as the group watched her off.

"...Wait, since when could Garchomp fly?!"

Ash pulled out his pokedex and scanned the Garchomp.

"_Garchomp, the Mach Pokemon. When it folds up its body and extends its wings, it looks like a fighter jet and is said to be able to fly at sonic speed."_

Ash closed the Pokedex in awe. "Wow… That's crazy. In that case, we gotta get you trained up, huh?" Ash turned to his Gible with a smile. Gible just responded with a happy little dance. Ash turned back to the rest of the Pokemon and pumped his arms. "Alright guys, we made it! No time to waste, let's get to work!"

All of Ash's Pokemon cheered out, but Dawn put a hand on his shoulder. "Cool it, Ash. We should at least get settled into the house before we start training."

Ash bashfully scratched the back of his head. He didn't like it, but a point was a point… "Alright, fine. Let's head to the house! Whoever gets there last has to do sprints!"

Ash's Pokemon cheered again and all of them started racing towards the center of the island. Infernape, Charizard, and Sceptile were leading the pack. Pikachu, Buizel, Ash, and Bulbusaur weren't too far behind. Unfortunately for Bulbusaur and Gible, their stubby legs weren't allowing them to run very quickly… Dawn couldn't help but sigh at the childish antics that Ash was doing.

"Even when he's training to potentially save the world, he still has time to act like a kid… Typical Ash."

**End of Chapter 2**

**Well now, I hope you enjoyed the longer chapter! It's been a while since I've uploaded, so I wanted to get a big one out for you guys. Regardless, I'll try to be a bit more consistent with my uploads, so feel free to Follow myself or the story to get any updates. Additionally, leave a review if there's anything you wanna tell me. This is unfamiliar territory, and so I'd really appreciate any and all feedback you might have. That's all from me, have a nice day!**


	3. The First Mission

**Alright, next chapter… I'm doing another End of an Era chapter next just cause I'm in the groove, but ideally I'd like to update this and Eevee Pack at least once per month. Now, considering this is **_**me **_**and my update schedules are all over the place, I'm not sure how much I can actually keep to that. That being said, if it's been a month and I haven't updated the story, feel free to shoot me a DM as a reminder. A lot of the time, me not updating is just me forgetting about it… ^^; Regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 3: Let The Battles Begin!

**Pikachu POV**

Sore.

Yeah, that was a good way to describe how I was feeling right now. Sore all over his body. When Ash said that his training was going to be intense, he was _not _kidding.

I splashed down in one of the streams to try and cool off, panting heavily to catch my breath. Alright, let's see how this day has gone so far…

Woke up nice and early at 4 AM. Y'know, normal waking hours. Have an incredibly quick breakfast and immediately go into sprinting. Around the entire island. Twice.

By the time we were done with that, basically everyone was exhausted. I had to carry poor Buneary on my back near the end because she couldn't do it. It felt pretty nice to have the fluffy bunny on my back, but I didn't have time to think about it as my entire body threatened to collapse. Togekiss also offered to carry anyone exhausted on her back because of the whole no legs thing. Never in my life have I been so jealous of a Pokemon who didn't have legs. Regardless, many Pokemon took her up on this offer. Squirtle tripped over himself quite a few times, and his face was covered in bruises. Bulbusaur tripped just as frequently, face planting into whatever mud pile he was unfortunate enough to run into. Piplup fell behind the group early and frantically ran to try and catch up. Mamoswine took up way too much space on the path, and ended up getting trampled by others who wanted to keep going. Even Charizard wasn't exactly used to running, and so he was exhausted by the end. The only ones who legitimately made it to the end of this crazy run were Ash, Infernape, Sceptile, and Riolu. Ash literally couldn't stand up by the time he reached the end, Infernape and Sceptile had to hold on to something for support, and Riolu… actually looked fine. On the surface, that is, because a closer look told the story of a Pokemon shaking and ready to collapse at any moment. Poor guy, has to hide his emotions for the sake of acting like a badass. Such a hard life.

So yeah, great start right off the bat. Right after that was done, Ash got back up from his quick breather and pumped his fists. "Alright, that was a great warmup to get the blood pumping! Now, who's ready for some endurance practice?" he said. Groans could be heard from everybody, but Ash can't understand Pokemon talk, so he just went along with it anyways. Only Ash would consider two laps around an island of this size a warmup.

Anyways, this endurance practice. Was this gonna be swimming in the ocean to try and work on having access to bodily functions for a while? Maybe some sort of exercise where we try to hold a position for a large amount of time? No no, see, that would make too much _sense_. Instead what Ash decided to do was have us hit each other with Super Effective moves. Over and over again. For an HOUR. We were all designated someone to attack and someone to be attacked by. For example, I was tasked with hitting Buizel with Thunderbolt while Gible hit me with Earthquake. Now, this might seem _incredibly _stupid on paper… Cause well, it is, but we had faith in Ash that what he was doing was going to make us stronger.

Of course, we didn't think that initially, but that Ash… "Y'know, if any of you feel like this is too much, feel free to tap out. This is voluntary after all, and if you're not up for the challenge then I understand." That one little jab was enough to get us to give it our all. He knows we're all incredibly prideful… He's a lot more clever than he lets on. Because of that, we all went full force on each other. Ash himself wasn't gonna just watch us though, he was intent on getting stronger himself. He strapped an actual boulder to his back while he did pushups. A literal BOULDER. I mean, it wasn't a very _big _boulder… but how crazy can you get?! It's even crazier to think that Dawn did the exact same thing. She wasn't gonna let Ash get the better of her, after all.

Thankfully, after all of that work, Ash decided to break out into 1 on 1 fights for personal improvements. Riolu and Pachirisu still had some energy… or at least, the facade of energy, and so they were the first to volunteer to fight. Normally I would've either volunteered to fight or at least watched, but right now? Eugh…

Ash said we'd be switching in and out quickly, so I shouldn't stay in here for long unless I wanna pull something. Anyways, I should go check how the current match is- Huh?

**Regular POV**

"Woah, check it out!" Everyone around the area started looking in awe after Ash's statement. In front of them, a bright light was shining, and a Pokemon was growing and changing shape. Taller, bigger, and with larger claws. Yes, Gible had just evolved into Gabite! "Wow Gible, you evolved! That's awesome! I didn't realize you were this close to evolving the entire time, that's pretty cool."

"(Oh yeah, now I'm feelin it!)" Gabite let out a roar after the evolution, as if all his fatigue had disappeared from his body. He stared down his opponent Piplup with a smirk.

"(W-Wait! I didn't sign up for this!)" Piplup flailed his flippers up and down, trying to find some place to hide from whatever attack Gabite was about to throw out.

"Now, Gabite, let's use Dual Chop!"

Gabite charged towards Piplup, arms glowing a dark blue as he swung his claw at Piplup for the first strike before immediately following up with the second to send the penguin flying.

"Wow, that's some power you've got there Gabite!"

Gabite flexed some muscle with a toothy grin as Piplup was blown away. Dawn, meanwhile, scrambled to go get her Pokemon.

"Oh no, Piplup! Are you okay?" Piplup slowly nodded in response. Dawn couldn't help but sigh and smile. "Well, at least he didn't hit ya with Draco Meteor this time, right?"

All of the other Pokemon came up to Gabite, in awe of just how much bigger he got.

"(Wow dude, you got huuuuge! You're towering over me now!)" Squirtle said.

"(Mm. Not bad.)" Mamoswine agreed.

"(Y'know kid, you might actually be a good training partner now. Care to go a few rounds?)" Infernape smirked as she motioned for Gabite to approach her.

All of the other Pokemon were giving similar types of praise or battle challenges. Just before Gabite was about to be overwhelmed by all the attention, Ash's pokedex buzzed in his pocket. "Oh, looks like the timer went off. Okay guys, all of you can take a well deserved break. You've worked really hard so far."

A cheer went out from everybody as they heard the news, scattering out across the island to find their own personal relaxation spots. Pikachu just let out a sigh of relief as he looked for a good spot to relax. The stream was nice, but he wanted somewhere to stay sharp… Oh, a pond! He could keep being active there. However, it seemed as though quite a number of Pokemon had the same idea. Squirtle, Buizel, Piplup, Pachirisu, and-

"Hey Pikachu, we're gonna go relax in the pond! You wanna come with?~" Buneary waved down Pikachu as she was heading towards the pond.

Yeah, he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to do now.

* * *

It was July 23rd at 2:00 PM. The door clicked behind Ash as he and Dawn walked into the house. "Listen, Dawn, are you _sure _you wanna go through with this? My Dad said that this is going to be incredibly taxing on you physically _and _mentally."

Dawn puffed her cheeks out and pumped her fists. "Ketchum, what did I tell you before? We're in this _together_, and if you're going to be doing this, then I'm doing it with you!"

Ash sighed and scratched the back of his head. "You're seriously going to do this? Well, guess I can't stop ya…"

Riolu did what seemed to be a cough as he turned to the two of them. "_Now that we have that cleared out of the way, I'd like to get started, Master."_

Ash nodded and sat down across from Riolu. Dawn noticed this and did the same. "Hey, uh, Riolu? Do you mind projecting into my head as well? Or is that asking too much…"

"_Not at all. For the sake of convenience, I shall project into both of your heads at the same time. Now, let us begin." _Riolu took a deep breath. "_We shall start with some basic meditation. Assess the inner aura inside of your soul, and allow that power to awaken through the act of inner peace. It is necessary to be calm before beginning the use of aura."_

Ash and Dawn nodded and closed their eyes, trying to keep calm as they searched within themselves. Riolu kept his eyes open, but they shone a light blue as he tracked their aura. First, he looked over at Ash. Ash's aura was a bright blue, shining intensely as it built up in his body. However, it was all over the place… uncontrolled and erratic as he attempted to get bits and pieces of it together. It seemed the young master had great potential after all, but had much yet to learn.

Dawn, however, was quite different. She was able to gather all of her pink aura together fairly quickly. Despite its small size, it shone with an intensity that Riolu had rarely ever seen. It seems that her talk of commitment to this was not just for show. Though she did not hold the same potential as Ash, Riolu was intrigued to see just how she would progress.

"_Great work, young Master Berlitz. It seems you've gathered all of your aura together rather quickly. Master Ketchum, however… you still have quite a bit of work to do."_

Dawn smiled cockily as she turned to Ash. "So, _Master Ketchum_, which one of us was going to have trouble with this again?~"

Ash lost his concentration and grumbled at Dawn. "Yeah yeah, keep talking while you still can… You're still the _young _Master at the end of the day!" Ash pulled down his lower eyelid and stuck his tongue out at Dawn.

"Oh please, I am less than a year younger than you, Ketchum!" Dawn angrily shook her fist at Ash as the two got into a squabble. Riolu took a quick peek at their respective auras. Yup, both of them were completely scattered… He sighed and shook his head. They were both 16 now and were still arguing like children… This might take a while.

* * *

"You're it, Piplup!" Squirtle smacked Piplup on the back and quickly swam away, chuckling heartily as he did.

"You sneaky turtle! I thought we had a truce!" Piplup started fuming at the turtle as he swam towards the edge of the pond. Buizel, however, just came up next to him with a smirk.

"I mean, it's not his fault that you're the slowest one here. And even as a water type… That's gotta be embarrassing."

Piplup started swimming towards Buizel with an unending fury. "That's it! You're done!" Piplup sped towards Buizel, but Buizel just used his tails to get out of the way. However, that didn't stop Piplup from barreling into an unsuspecting Pachirisu. "Haha, you're it!"

Pikachu just sighed as he watched their antics from the edge of the pond. "Man, I don't think Piplup is ever gonna change…"

Buneary giggled and swam up to Pikachu. "Aw, c'mon, that's just what makes him so likeable!"

Pikachu huffed. "Likeable is… definitely a way to describe him."

"Wait, I'm it?" Pachirisu looked a bit confused before jumping up and down. Her cheeks started to spark as she did. "Oh boy! I have the perfect way to make all of you it!"

Buizel quickly turned around and tried to stop Pachirisu. "Wait, no, Pachirisu!"

But he was too late. Pachirisu happily let out a Discharge, giving everyone in the pond a hearty zap. All of the water in the pond was promptly zapped, electrocuting all of the Pokemon inside. "Hahaha! You're it! ...Guys?"

Everyone in the pond was twitching from the shock. Oh dear…

* * *

"_Now, Master Ash, please focus. It's key that you ignore any outside distractions so you can maintain your aura."_

Ash was once more trying to keep his focus on the aura. He grit his teeth as he felt the energy build up inside of him. Ash had to admit, he didn't know why he was having so much trouble controlling his aura compared to Dawn, and that was beginning to upset him. He tensed his entire body, and his aura began to turn a light shade of red. However, as time went on, that aura began to turn darker and darker as Ash tensed up more. Riolu noticed this and quickly intervened.

"_That is enough. Master Ash, I believe it best if you took a break for now."_

Ash let out a breath as he opened his eyes and looked at Riolu. "But if I can't even gather all my aura together, then how am I supposed to learn? I'm fine, I can keep going."

Riolu shook his head. "_Your Aura reflects your true feelings. I can see you getting frustrated and angry, but there is no need. I understand that this is difficult for you, but you must realize that this is merely due to the large amount of potential you hold. So much Aura within your body right from the beginning will be hard to manifest, but I have faith that you will be able to master it in due time. However, rushing it will do us no good. Please, take a quick rest and we shall continue shortly."_

Ash just bit his lip and nodded his head. He didn't like it… but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Riolu was right, getting impatient wasn't gonna help anyone. But darn it, he felt like he was so close! What piece of the puzzle was missing?

"Hey, Ash." Ash was snapped out of his own thoughts as he felt Dawn's touch on his shoulder and her voice. "Listen, I know this is tough for you, but there's no need to worry, right? You're the one with the magical prophecy after all. So just buck up, okay?"

Ash chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Still using that cheesy line, huh?"

Dawn huffed and crossed her arms. "I'm just trying to help, Ketchum! Ugh, so rude…"

Ash quickly shook his head. "No, don't get me wrong, I appreciate it. And you're right, we'll get through this. I'm just so excited! We'll be able to talk to our Pokemon telepathically, just like Anabel!"

Dawn tilted her head a bit in confusion. "Anabel? Who's that?"

"She's one of the Frontier Brains. Not only does she have the ability to understand Pokemon speech, but she can also speak to them telepathically. I'll admit, her not giving any commands to her Pokemon threw me off the first time…"

Dawn giggled and poked Ash in the face. "And lemme guess, you lost the first time you challenged her, didn't ya?~"

Ash rolled his eyes and turned away. "Well, I mean… Yeah, I did. But I won the second time around, alright?"

"Of course you did, Ash. But I'm sure she's gonna want a rematch at some point."

Ash nodded his head. He hadn't really given the rematch thing much thought, but… He supposed he did have all the contact info he could ever need in terms of rematches. He might have to check that out at another time.

* * *

"Pachirisu… You're not supposed to use electric moves to tag people. Especially in a lake…"

An injured and exhausted Buizel swam up to Pachirisu as she looked at him with confusion.

"B-But I hit all of you, right? Shouldn't that mean you're it?"

"No, Pachi, you're supposed to tap us with your paw to make us it… Those are the rules of tag."

"Ooooooh, okay!" Pachirisu smacked Buizel on the chest. "You're it! Hahahaha!" Right after she smacked him, she frantically swam away from him.

Buizel perked up in shock at the gesture, and quickly grit his teeth. "Wha- That sneaky little-! Get back here!" Buizel spun his tails around and shot towards Pachirisu in pursuit.

Infernape chuckled as she watched their antics. "Classic. I can't believe he's calling her Pachi now. Those two sure have come a long way…"

"Excuse me, I don't remember inviting you to lean against my tree."

Infernape turned her attention to her right, seeing Sceptile leaning against the same tree as her with closed eyes and a snarky attitude. "I didn't think I needed to be invited to lean against a tree. What's it to you?"

Sceptile grabbed a twig and stuck it into his mouth. "There are no invitations. This is my tree, and I'd prefer to keep it quiet. I've had enough yelling for at least a month…"

Infernape clicked her tongue. "Well isn't that rude. That's no way to treat a woman."

Sceptile shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't seem much like one to me."

Infernape rolled her eyes and smirked. "And this is why Meganium left you…"

"Oooo, scathing. What, did you pick that up from Paul on your way out?"

"I wouldn't need his help to insult you, twig."

Sparks flew between Infernape and Sceptile as they glared at each other. In the distance, Charizard, Mamoswine, and Gabite were watching the entire thing unfold. Gabite himself had a bit of a worried look on his face.

"Should… Should we intervene? That doesn't seem like friendly teasing to me."

Charizard crossed his arms and shook his head. "Nah. It's best not to get in the way of stuff like that. Who knows? Maybe it'll be good to motivate them."

Mamoswine agreed. "Mm. No point. Maybe Pikachu will do something. If it gets out of hand."

Gabite sighed and scratched the side of his head. "Alright… If you all say so."

Sitting atop a perch looking over the pond were Staraptor and Togekiss, surveying the area to make sure everything was going well.

"So… Togekiss. How's the training treating ya?"

Togekiss gave him a smile. "Oh, not too bad! I wasn't able to participate in the running, but I was happily able to carry those who couldn't make it to the end! Though it did get quite heavy after a while…"

Staraptor sweat dropped as he remembered what happened. "Ah… Yes. Sorry about that."

Togekiss shook her head quickly. "No no, don't worry about it! In fact, I was quite ecstatic to be able to help that many Pokemon. I am honored and blessed to even be here."

Staraptor chuckled and looked back towards the pond as Pachirisu was chasing down a panicked Squirtle desperately trying to swim away. "At least everyone seems to be enjoying themselves in spite of the training. Best we keep things that way."

Togekiss happily nodded and returned to watching over the others.

* * *

"_Good, Master Ketchum. Now breath in and out… slowly now. You've almost got it."_

Ash slowly got into a routine breathing, allowing the oxygen to flow in through his nose as he continued to gather aura in his body. As he was nearing completion in terms of gathering aura, his hands began to glow a dark blue as the energy cackled with anticipation.

"_Excellent, you're almost there…"_

Not too long after Riolu said that, the aura in Ash's hands burst to life, flaring up and ready to go. Ash opened his eyes and looked in awe at the power he was holding. "Woah… So this is aura? It's… almost a bit overwhelming."

Riolu nodded his head and smiled. "_Very good, Master. You've managed to gather all of your Aura together for the first time. Remember this feeling, you'll be feeling it quite a bit more in the future."_

Once Ash had finished gathering his aura, Dawn decided to do the same, with the pink energy bursting to life in her hands as she smiled at Ash.

"See? What'd I tell ya? You just needed a little bit of practice is all."

Ash smiled and nodded his head as he swung the aura around a little bit. "Yeah, I guess you were right. This is pretty wild though."

"_Yes, now that you're both familiar with your own auras, it's time to-"_

_I wanna be the very best, like no one ever waaas! To catch them is my real test, to train them is-_

Ash's aura disappeared as he reached into his pocket to grab his pokedex. "Oh, sorry, Cynthia's calling me. I've gotta take this."

Ash pressed a button on his Pokedex and put the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Cynthia, what's up?"

"_Hey Ash, sorry for contacting you so soon, but we've got something we might need your help with. Professor Juniper said that someone ran off with one of her rare starter Pokemon, and you're the only one near Unova that can help us out with it. You mind lending a hand?"_

Ash nodded his head. "Yeah, that's not a problem. Where should I head?"

"_Nuvema Town. I'll send you the coordinates soon. This shouldn't take too long, but make sure you're staying safe."_

"Will do Cynthia, thanks." Ash clicked the Pokedex off and turned to the other two. "Alright guys, apparently one of the Starter Pokemon of the Unova region got stolen, so I've gotta go and figure that out. I should be back soon."

"Hold it, Ketchum." Just as Ash was about to leave to grab some of his Pokemon, Dawn grabbed him by the back of his jacket. "Apparently you still don't get it, so let me make it clear. I'm coming with you."

Ash sighed and turned to her. "But Dawn, if you come with me, who's gonna train the Pokemon that stay behind?"

Dawn pointed to Riolu with a smile. "Riolu can!"

Riolu was taken aback by this. "_I can?"_

Ash gave her an awkward look. "Dawn, I don't think-"

Dawn smacked him on the back with a bright smile. "Aw, you worry too much! Now c'mon, let's get going!" She happily skipped off to go grab the Pokemon she wanted to bring. Ash couldn't help but sigh and scratch his head.

"Sorry bout that, Riolu… Guess you're gonna be running the next leg of training while we're gone."

Riolu bowed his head. "_Think nothing of it, Master. Just simply tell me what I need to do and it shall be done."_

Ash brought out his training plan and scanned for what he wanted to do next. Once he realized that Riolu couldn't exactly do that, he decided to go for the next best thing. "Alright, here we are, reflex training. It consists of you and some helpers throwing tiny rocks at the Pokemon and seeing how quickly they can react to it. You can even make it an elimination game if you want. That sound fine?"

Riolu nodded his head. "_Consider it done, Master."_

Ash gave a thumbs up as he began to head out. "Great, thanks Riolu."

* * *

Ash climbed up onto Staraptor, pulling out his Pokedex to see the coordinates that Cynthia sent him. "Alright… that's not too terrible. We'll get there in like an hour if we take it easy, but I think it's good practice if you give it your all, alright Staraptor?"

Staraptor nodded as Dawn began to climb onto Togekiss. "You too, Togekiss. Let's try to keep up with Staraptor, alright? We've gotta be quick about this."

Pikachu held on tight to Ash's shoulder as they prepared to take off. Pikachu had never really flown like this before, so he wasn't sure how rough it would be… even still, the Poke Ball wasn't an option. He hated that place as much as it hated him.

Speaking of Pokemon, Ash and Dawn weren't bringing many. Ash decided to only bring Staraptor, Pikachu, and the freshly evolved Gabite with him while Dawn opted for Togekiss, Piplup, and Quilava, much to the dismay of Buneary. They felt it best to travel light in a situation like this so that the Pokemon could continue training while this got dealt with. With that, the two of them took off to the skies.

"Sir, two individuals have been spotted flying past us!" Somewhere in the distance, a man with binoculars was searching the skies as his eyes landed on Ash and Dawn.

"What? What direction are they headed?" The larger man came up behind the shorter man with a panicked tone to his voice.

"From the trajectory of their flying, it seems they're heading southeast."

"Are they representatives from the Pokemon League?"

The smaller man shook his head. "No sir, they only seem to be teenagers. They don't look like any officials I've ever seen."

The older figure scratched his chin. "I see… Well, keep a lookout for any other individuals. I believe we can remain here if they're not headed in our direction."

The younger figure saluted him. "Yes sir!"

* * *

After about half an hour, Ash and Dawn finally arrived in Nuvema Town. They landed their Pokemon and gave them some appreciation before returning them to their pokeballs.

"That was great work, Staraptor. Take a long rest."

"You too, Togekiss!"

As they were both returned to their respective pokeballs, the two of them looked over at the large building in front of them.

"So, this is Professor Juniper's lab? It looks huge…" Dawn looked at the building in awe as Ash checked his pokedex.

"According to Cynthia, this should be the place. Anyways, let's head inside and get some information."

Dawn nodded and followed Ash into the lab. As they walked in, they were immediately greeted with a frantic Professor on the phone with someone.

"Yes, yes I know that- No, there isn't another way to- Listen to me, these Pokemon are- Will you please just listen?!"

Ash and Dawn were a bit nervous to approach her at first, but Ash eventually made the first move as he introduced himself. "Um… Hello? You're Professor Juniper, right?"

Professor Juniper looked over at Ash and Dawn and tensed up at the sight of them, quickly turning back to her phone for a split second. "Listen, I'll call you back. The trainers are here." She hung up the phone and put a bright smile on her face at the two. Well, bright was one way to describe it… but fake was also equally as valid. "Well now! You two must be here to receive your starter Pokemon, yes?"

Dawn walked forward and shook her head. "Actually… We're trainers that Cynthia sent to help you get your missing Pokemon back. Dawn and Ash… remember?"

Juniper blinked for a second in confusion before she let out a huge sigh of relief, her smile disappearing as her panicked expression came back. "Oh thank Arceus, I'm so glad you got here as soon as you did… The new trainers will be getting here soon, and I'm worried I won't have all the Pokemon available for them when they arrive. I'm not entirely sure where the trainer who stole the Pokemon is… But they can't have gone far. It's a straight line from here to the next town."

Ash and Dawn nodded their heads before Dawn interjected. "So what type of Pokemon are we supposed to be looking for?"

Juniper walked back to a table and grabbed two Pokeballs, releasing an Oshawott and Tepig. "I'm currently missing the Grass type Pokemon, Snivy. It looks a bit like a snake with a leaf at its tip and a pointy nose. If you need more info, you can try looking Snivy up in your Pokedex. Professor Oak expanded it to include Pokemon in Unova, correct?"

Ash nodded his head and went into his Pokedex, quickly scanning Oshawott and Tepig to get their full info.

_Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokemon. The scalchop on its stomach is made from the same elements as claws, and it detaches the scalchop for use as a blade._

_Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokemon. It can deftly dodge its foe's attacks while shooting fireballs from its nose, and it roasts berries before eating them._

"Woah, cool Pokemon! I can't wait to see the Snivy." Ash slipped the Pokedex into his pocket and gave Juniper a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Professor! We'll get your Pokemon back soon. Just leave it to us!"

Professor Juniper thanked Ash and Dawn profusely. "I can't thank you two enough. I'll make sure to call you two if anything comes up, alright?"

They nodded and waved her off as they headed out towards their destination. Juniper smiled and turned to the other two. "Alright you two, let's get ready for- Huh?" She spun herself around, seemingly searching for something. "...Where did Oshawott go?"

* * *

Ash and Dawn were walking down Route 1, taking in all the sights of this new region. "Wow Ash, can you believe it? This place looks so gorgeous! I never imagined what life outside of Sinnoh would look like."

Ash smiled at her as he put his hands behind his head. "I'll never get used to the feeling of walking down the first route of a new region. Gives me goosebumps every time." Ash started to reminisce on all of his past adventures… Getting Misty's bike fried while being chased by Spearow, starting the new adventure in Johto, stealing May's bike to help Pikachu…

_...Wow, maybe I should stay away from bikes. _Ash thought.

"Now use Leaf Tornado!" Ash and Dawn had their attention pulled away as they heard a command given by a trainer. Sure enough, a small grass Pokemon was spinning around and prepared to fire off a Leaf Tornado. The Pokemon shot it off, hitting a small rat Pokemon for damage. Not enough to knock it out, however, and so it ran off. "Tch. Not strong enough. You'd better knock it out next time."

Ash pulled out his Pokedex to analyze the new Pokemon. "Is that the Snivy we're looking for?"

_Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokemon. They photosynthesize by bathing their tails in sunlight, and when they are not feeling well, their tails drop._

Ash closed his pokedex and had a serious look on his face as he marched over to the trainer. "Hey, you! What're you doing with that Snivy?"

The trainer in question turned over to Ash, shrugging his shoulders at what seemed like a silly question. "Training it. What else are you supposed to do during a new adventure?"

Ash pointed at him. "You stole that Snivy from Professor Juniper's lab, didn't you? You'd better give it back now, there are new trainers who need it!"

The trainer huffed and turned his full attention to Ash. "New trainers like myself? I was given this Snivy by Professor Juniper. The name's Trip, you can ask her yourself."

Ash's accusatory attitude started to fade a bit before Dawn stepped in. "Wait, but if that Snivy is yours… Then where would the other Snivy be?"

Trip rolled his eyes and shook his head. "How should I know? That's not my problem. Listen, you've wasted enough of my time. If you'll excuse me, I have more training to do."

Trip waved the two of them off and walked deeper into the tall grass to find more Pokemon. Ash grit his teeth as he watched him walk off. "Sheesh, what's with that guy?"

Dawn puffed her cheeks and glared at him. "He's giving me serious Paul vibes, Ash. I don't think we should stick around him."

Ash nodded his head and turned towards the direction of Accumula Town. "Maybe we can find some clues over there? Doesn't seem like there's anyone else on this route."

Dawn nodded her head and followed after Ash.

* * *

"Ow! Stupid blasted…" Squirtle rubbed the back of his head as he was pelted with yet another rock. It was not a secret at this point, he was no good at this. However, it seemed like a lot of the Pokemon were struggling just as much as he was. Mamoswine didn't have much in terms of mobility, so he was easily pelted. Bulbusaur did decently in terms of knocking them away with Vine Whip, but he couldn't dodge out of the way of the ones that got past his vines. However, even some of the faster Pokemon were getting hit often. Buizel, Pachirisu, Charizard… All of them were getting hit hard. Squirtle chuckled as he imagined Snorlax trying to do this type of training. However, a big surprise to him and everyone else was just how well Buneary was doing. She was hopping and jumping all around, dodging blocking most every rock that was coming her way with Dizzy Punch or Bounce. Her speed and agility were really something to behold.

"Hya! Ha! Daaah!" Buneary jumped up and hit one last rock out of the way with a spin kick before landing gracefully on her feet. Riolu nodded his head and approached her once he was done throwing rocks.

"Miss Buneary, I am impressed. Not many Pokemon are able to block every rock thrown at them within their first try. You're truly something special."

Buneary huffed and crossed her arms. "That means nothing coming from you. If that was really the case, then I'd be with Dawn on this special mission they're doing!" Buneary growled and balled up her fists as best she could.

Riolu was quite a bit taken aback by her outburst before Buizel put a flipper on his shoulder. "Listen… Don't take it personally. She's just upset she can't be with Pikachu right now is all. The girl's only ever got eyes for him."

Riolu scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I can see that… How frightening."

Infernape walked up to Buneary with arms crossed. "Listen hun, the guy was just trying to give you a compliment. I know you're upset, but you're not gonna be winning anyone over acting like that."

Buneary sighed and sat down where she was standing. "I know, but it's just so _frustrating_. Dawn trusts me, right? So why didn't she take me along?"

Infernape bent down with a reassuring smile. "Of course she trusts you. But it's because she trusts you that she wanted you to stay here and keep working hard. You think Ash doesn't trust me or Charizard? Or any of us, for that matter. They trust all of us, so we'd better give them trust in return."

Buneary sniffled a bit before a smile crept onto her face. Renewed with energy, she jumped up and got ready to go again. "Yeah, you're right! Just you watch, I'm gonna be crazy strong by the time Dawn gets back!"

Infernape chuckled and got into a ready position herself. "That's the spirit!"

Sceptile watched the interaction from the background and chuckled. "Heh. Not bad."

Bulbusaur looked up at him with a bit of confusion. "Huh? Sceptile, what's up?"

Sceptile shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

* * *

"So, this is Accumula Town?" Ash looked around the town as he walked in. Seemed pretty basic… The entire town was surrounded by trees, almost as if it was in a forest. There were quite a few tall buildings that were most likely housing, and Ash could hear lots of musicians playing sweet music in the background. However, they were cut off as a meeting in the square began to formulate. "Woah… What's going on over there?"

Ash pointed Dawn in the direction of the meeting and the two of them ran over to see what was going on. As they came over, multiple men in match uniforms appeared holding banners as an old man appeared out in front.

"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokemon liberation."

A murmur went out through the crowd. Pokemon liberation? What was he talking about? Ghetsis walked to his left a bit to address a different part of the crowd.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However… is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans… only assume that this is the truth?"

Ghetsis paused and walked back to the center of the platform before continuing.

"Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers… They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work… Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

Another murmur went through the crowd, this time more hesitant and doubtful. Ash frowned as he heard this. This couldn't be true, right? Pikachu and him have gone through so much together. Ghetsis paused once more and walked to his right, standing right in front of Ash.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokemon?"

Yet another murmur goes through the crowd, but this time, the idea of liberation starts to gain traction amongst the people. Dawn couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ghetsis paused and returned back to the center once more.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokemon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokemon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokemon… and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

The men and women in uniforms grabbed the banners and surrounded Ghetsis, marching off with him in between them as they finished their speech. A shocked silence settled in amongst the crowd before they settled into their own discussions.

"Liberation of Pokemon? Is that really the right thing to do?"

"Of course not! Pokemon are our friends… right?"

"Maybe he had the right idea."

As the crowd began to disperse, Ash and Dawn were left to converse about what just happened.

"Ash, what was that all about? Liberation of Pokemon? You don't believe that stuff, do you?"

Ash shook his head. "Of course not. I've been through a lot with my Pokemon. Isn't that right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu let out a happy cry in agreement with Ash. After the fact, a young man started approaching the duo.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. My name is N, and I'm a traveling trainer." He took a respectful bow to the two teenagers.

"Hey there N! My name's Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu!" Pikachu gave a small "Pika pika!" as a greeting.

"And my name's Dawn, nice to meet ya!"

"The pleasure is all mine. Now, the reason that I have come to talk to you is about that meeting just now… I am searching for the answers to certain questions that have been discussed for years, and I'd like to see your Pikachu for a moment."

N took a long look at Pikachu. "Mm… Yes… I see. It seems your Pikachu is quite close to you, Ash. That's good."

Ash smiled and gave Pikachu a little neck scratch. "Of course! He was my first Pokemon, after all."

N smiled and nodded his head. "Yes yes, of course. I thank you for your time, this has taught me a lot. I hope to see you once more in the future, Ash."

Ash and Dawn waved him off before turning back to each other. "Ash, I think we'd better get back to searching for that Snivy. We've wasted a lot of time already."

Ash froze a bit and put his hands on his head. "I totally forgot about the Snivy! You're right Dawn, we need to hurry!"

Ash and Dawn nodded and began scouring the town, as well as asking anybody in town if they had seen anything suspicious.

**15 minutes later…**

"Yes, I have seen something suspicious." Dawn perked up when she finally got a positive answer.

"Wait, you have? Please, tell me what you saw!"

The old man scratched his chin and pointed towards the stairs leading to the lower area. "I saw some kid in a hood scurryin off, carryin a pokeball. Seemed purty new and everythin. I thought he was jus some quiet kid who jus got 'is starter, so I didn stop em."

Dawn nodded her head and smiled brightly. "Thank you so much, sir! You've been a great help." Once she finished talking with him, she quickly ran off to meet up with Ash. "Ash, Ash! I found something!"

Ash turned away from his searching as he heard Dawn running up behind him. "You did? What'd you find?"

Dawn came to a stop next to Ash and pumped her fists. "Some old man said he found a suspicious looking person with a pokeball heading towards the lower part of this town! Maybe we can find the Snivy there!"

Ash smiled and pumped his fist. "That's awesome, Dawn! Let's go there now!" The two of them ran off towards the stairs, down to where a few buildings were. They began searching, but it didn't take them too long to find a hooded figure between the two buildings. Dawn was the first to see it and immediately pointed him out.

"There he is! Ash, c'mon!"

The two of them started running towards him at a fast pace. Finally, they were gonna get the Snivy back!

"Yes, I have the Snivy… I'm not sure if it has Contrary or not, but- That doesn't matter? Yes sir, I'll get it to you as soon as possible…"

The figure stopped communicating and was about to head out before he saw Dawn and Ash rushing towards him. He attempted to turn the other way, but was blocked off by the wall. He had nowhere to run.

"I've got you now!" Without warning, Ash jumped forward and tackled the hooded figure to the ground, pulling the hood back to reveal… a child. Probably around 10 or 11 years old. And it… wasn't a he. It was a girl. She blushed madly as Ash tackled her and pushed her off of him.

"G-Get off of me, you lug! How dare you?!" She huffed as she stood up and glared at Ash.

Ash, however, didn't play around. He quickly got up and frowned at her. "I saw you communicating with someone just now! That Pokemon is stolen, isn't it? You've gotta give it back!"

Dawn stepped forward and crossed her arms. "That's right. You can't just steal Pokemon when you want to!"

The girl had a look of guilt on her face as she turned away from them. "I… I'm sorry. I just… wanted my own Pokemon. And I wasn't able to get one normally, so I… stole it. I'm really sorry…" The girl started sniveling as she looked down at the poke ball. "My name is Miranda. I really wanna be a Pokemon coordinator…"

Dawn cupped her hands together and started to approach the girl. "Aw, you do? That's so sweet… Listen, why don't we return to Professor Juniper's lab and we can get you a Pokemon the normal way, alright?"

Miranda wiped the tears away from her eyes as she looked up at Dawn. "Y-You really mean it?"

Dawn nodded her head and wrapped her arms around Miranda in a hug. "Of course. I know exactly how you feel."

Miranda was a bit slow to accept the hug, but she eventually did, still sniveling a little bit.

"There there, it's gonna be alright. We're gonna get you- GAAAAH!" Before Dawn could finish her sentence, a bunch of blood shot out of her mouth and she collapsed to the ground. Right through her chest was a fresh knife wound, gushing and sputtering as blood poured out onto the ground. Ash's and Pikachu's expressions quickly turned to horror as they watched Miranda pull the knife out of Dawn's chest.

"Wh-What the-?! Dawn! Wha- Hrrk!" Before Ash could even approach, the knife sliced through his chest as well, leaving a large diagonal wound gushing with blood as he collapsed to the ground. Miranda slipped the hood back on as she sprinted away from the scene.

This pain… this excruciating pain… Ash had never felt anything like it before. It hurt so badly… He could feel his body losing blood quickly. The touch of Pikachu's paws mildly distracted him, but that feeling quickly went away. It wasn't supposed to end like this… He couldn't die here… He had so much still left to do. He could feel his life slipping away… Deeper, deeper into the darkness. It can't end like this… It can't end… It can't end… It _can't _end…

The end.

* * *

"_Great work, young Master Berlitz. It seems you've gathered all of your aura together rather quickly. Master Ketchum, however… you still have quite a bit of work to do."_

Dawn smiled cockily as she turned to Ash. "So, _Master Ketchum_, which one of us was going to have trouble with this again?~"

Ash's eyes shot wide open. He quickly lifted his head and checked his surroundings. "Wait, what…? Where…"

Riolu tilted his head. "_Master Ketchum, we are in your living quarters. Are you feeling alright?"_

Ash quickly opened up his jacket and lifted his shirt. Nothing. No sign of any cut or damage. "How in the world…?"

Dawn looked a bit concerned as Ash checked his body like. "Um… Ash, I don't know if you think you're attractive, but… What're you doing?"

Ash couldn't pay attention to that. He quickly got up and checked the date and time on his Pokedex. July 23rd… at 2:00 PM.

**End of Chapter 3**

**Wow, this ended up being a really long chapter. I initially wanted to put more in this, but once I realized I was at 20 pages on Google Docs, I thought it would be best if I save that for another time. Anyways, you guys know the drill. Follow me if you like the content, send a review to show your interest or give me some critiques, yadda yadda. Have a nice day, y'all!**


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